EU sanctions 8 individuals, Taganrog detention centre over abuse of Ukrainian POWs and civilians

BRUSSELS, July 13, 2026 — The European Union on Sunday imposed sanctions on eight individuals and one Russian detention facility under its global human rights sanctions regime over the torture, mistreatment and killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians. The measures were adopted through Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1720 and took effect upon publication in the Official Journal.

The listings focus heavily on personnel linked to Penal Colony No. 120 in Olenivka, in occupied Donetsk region, as well as a detention center in Taganrog, Russia. Those sanctioned are Alexei Viktorovich Khavetsky of Penal Colony No. 7 in Vladimir Oblast; Artem Nikolayevich Potapchuk, assistant head of Olenivka prison; Dmitry Neelov, first deputy head of Olenivka prison; Kirill Viktorovich Shakurov, a former junior inspector at Olenivka; Vasiliy Valerievich Bakalinskiy and Yuri Alekseevich Dmytrenko, identified as wardens at the prison; Vyacheslav Nikolayevich Yakurnov, head of its operational department; and Yan Vyacheslavovych Zanevsky, an FSB officer.

The EU said the listed officials were responsible for torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, with allegations including severe beatings, electric shocks, starvation, humiliation and sexual violence against detainees. In the case of Neelov, the bloc also cited alleged responsibility for arbitrary killing linked to the July 2022 Olenivka prison explosions, saying he delayed evacuation of the wounded despite knowing the scale of the casualties.

The regulation also added Pre-trial detention center-2 Taganrog, known as SIZO-2, to the sanctions list. The EU said former detainees reported systemic torture there, including electric shocks, beatings, forced confessions and denial of medical care. It also cited the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna after a year in detention, saying forensic examinations showed multiple signs of torture, including electrocution, abrasions and broken bones.

The move broadens the EU’s use of its global human rights sanctions regime in response to abuses linked to Russia’s war against Ukraine, with the Council pointing to accountability for torture, arbitrary killings and other grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.